Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Ocean Acidification Toolkits for Educators

Wave coral in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Credit: Greg McFall, NOAA
  • Principal Investigator(s): Aly Busse, Mote Marine Laboratory
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

Why we care
Ocean acidification and elevated ocean temperature are happening now and project to have major societal impacts on communities that rely on coastal habitats for both food, culture and revenue. An ocean literate society helps people better prepare for impacts of ocean change and promote stewardship of the ecosystems and marine life. This project provides two regionally relevant curricula focused on marine species people care about.

What we are doing
The Mote Marine Laboratory will provide virtual high school classroom toolkits focused on the causes, impacts, and socioeconomic consequences of ocean acidification. This project will be conducted in three phases: needs assessment and initial classroom kit design, classroom kit development and pilot testing, and evaluation. The team will use the best available and ongoing science on the effects of ocean acidification and rising ocean temperatures on coral reefs and the highly valued stone crab to develop two teaching toolkits. The toolkits are based on virtual education resources and hands-on simulations for high school students. They will include lesson plans, datasets, digital videos of organismal behavioral responses, teacher guides, supplementary scientific background, and extension activities. Lessons will be interactive, relevant, and engaging in efforts to pedagogically promote environmental stewardship, ocean literacy, and challenge students to identify community-based solutions to mitigate ocean acidification. These lessons will be aligned with state and national Science Standards, Climate Literacy Standards and Ocean Literacy Standards. 

While the toolkit will be available online to any educator, this project will focus on students attending non-coastal Title 1 schools in Florida. 

Benefits of our work
The primary outcome of this project is a series of virtual teacher classroom ocean acidification toolkits, targeting educators and Title I students in the state of Florida. The project aims to strengthen the science research-based resources available to assist with educating students on ocean acidification, including its causes, impacts, mitigation activities and potential proactive solutions. Content will be regionally relevant and will improve understanding of the systems, threats and vulnerabilities that current and future levels of ocean acidification will have on ecosystems and individual species, both ecologically and socio-economically. Noteworthy is that the toolkits will incorporate past and ongoing research conducted by Mote Marine Laboratory’s Resilience team on how ocean acidification and elevated temperatures affect Florida coral reefs and stone crab. Evaluation processes will be included for each phase of the project and each lesson to evaluate outcomes, assess learning and affective shifts and improve overall impact of the ocean acidification toolkits. These toolkits can be adopted by educators anywhere, as an example of science-based ocean acidification education.

Investigators
Aly Busse, Mote Marine Laboratory
Courtney Klepac, Mote Marine Laboratory
Jessyca Garlock, Mote Marine Laboratory
Philip Gravinese, Mote Marine Laboratory
Abby Smith, Mote Marine Laboratory

Image: Wave coral in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Credit: Greg McFall, NOAA

Scroll to Top

ADAPTING TO OCEAN ACIDIFICATION

The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) works to prepare society to adapt to the consequences of ocean acidification and conserve marine ecosystems as acidification occurs. Learn more about the human connections and adaptation strategies from these efforts.

Adaptation approaches fostered by the OAP include:

FORECASTING

Using models and research to understand the sensitivity of organisms and ecosystems to ocean acidification to make predictions about the future, allowing communities and industries to prepare

MANAGEMENT

Using these models and predictions as tools to facilitate management strategies that will protect marine resources and communities from future changes

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

Developing innovative tools to help monitor ocean acidification and mitigate changing ocean chemistry locally

REDUCING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

50 more ways to reduce your carbon footprint >

On the Road

Drive fuel-efficient vehicles or choose public transportation. Choose your bike or walk! Don't sit idle for more than 30 seconds. Keep your tires properly inflated.

With your Food Choices

Eat local- this helps cut down on production and transport! Reduce your meat and dairy. Compost to avoid food waste ending up in the landfill

With your Food Choices

Make energy-efficient choices for your appliances and lighting. Heat and cool efficiently! Change your air filters and program your thermostat, seal and insulate your home, and support clean energy sources

By Reducing Coastal Acidification

Reduce your use of fertilizers, Improve sewage treatment and run off, and Protect and restore coastal habitats

Previous slide
Next slide

TAKE ACTION WITH YOUR COMMUNITY

You've taken the first step to learn more about ocean acidification - why not spread this knowledge to your community?

Every community has their unique culture, economy and ecology and what’s at stake from ocean acidification may be different depending on where you live.  As a community member, you can take a larger role in educating the public about ocean acidification. Creating awareness is the first step to taking action.  As communities gain traction, neighboring regions that share marine resources can build larger coalitions to address ocean acidification.  Here are some ideas to get started:

  1. Work with informal educators, such as aquarium outreach programs and local non-profits, to teach the public about ocean acidification. Visit our Education & Outreach page to find the newest tools!
  2. Participate in habitat restoration efforts to restore habitats that help mitigate the effects of coastal acidification
  3. Facilitate conversations with local businesses that might be affected by ocean acidification, building a plan for the future.
  4. Partner with local community efforts to mitigate the driver behind ocean acidification  – excess CO2 – such as community supported agriculture, bike & car shares and other public transportation options.
  5. Contact your regional Coastal Acidification Network (CAN) to learn how OA is affecting your region and more ideas about how you can get involved in your community
       More for Taking Community Action